Axlerod, R. (1997). The
complexity of cooperation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Robert Axelrod is widely known for his groundbreaking work in game theory and complexity
theory. He is a leader in applying computer modeling to social science problems. His book
The Evolution of Cooperation has been hailed as a seminal contribution and has
been translated into eight languages since its initial publication. The Complexity
of Cooperation is a sequel to that landmark book. It collects seven essays,
originally published in a broad range of journals, and adds an extensive new introduction
to the collection, along with new prefaces to each essay and a useful new appendix of
additional resources. Written in Axelrods acclaimed, accessible style, this
collection serves as an introductory text on complexity theory and computer modeling in
the social sciences and as an overview of the current state of the art in the field.

Capra, F. (1996). The
web of life: A new scientific understanding of living systems. New York: Anchor Books.
During the past twenty-five years, scientists have challenged conventional views of
evolution and the organization of living systems and have developed new theories with
revolutionary philosophical and social implications. Fritjof Capra has been at the
forefront of this revolution. In The Web of Life, Capra offers a brilliant
synthesis of such recent scientific breakthroughs as the theory of complexity, Gaia
theory, chaos theory, and other explanations of the properties of organisms, social
systems, and ecosystems. Capras surprising findings stand in stark contrast to
accepted paradigms of mechanism and Darwinism and provide an extraordinary new foundation
for ecological policies that will allow us to build and sustain communities without
diminishing the opportunities for future generations.

Gleick, J. (1988). Chaos:
Making a new science. New York: Penguin.
James Gleick explains the theories behind the fascinating new science called chaos.
Alongside relativity and quantum mechanics, it is being hailed as the twentieth
centurys third revolution.

Kauffman, S. (1996). At
home in the universe: The search for laws of self-organization and complexity. New
York: Oxford University Press.
According to MacArthur fellow Kauffman (Santa Fe Institute), "[T]he order of the
biological world...is not merely tinkered, but arises naturally and spontaneously because
of underlying principles of self- organization." These principles may be employed to
analyze all manner of highly-involved patterns, from molecular biology, the rise and fall
of corporations, to the intricate workings of government. Kauffman outlines the
characteristics and potential uses of complexity, simply delineating its meaning for the
future of scientific thought. For general readers.

Kosko, B. (1993). Fuzzy
thinking: The new science of fuzzy logic. New York: Hyperion.
Fuzzy logic is a science and way of thinking which challenges ordinary mental habits and
provides a changing, flowing world view which challenges cut and dry mental processes.
Bart Kosko is a leader in the fuzzy logic way of thinking: his is an excellent and lively
presentation that is even more compelling in audio form.

Lewin, R. (2000). Complexity:
Life at the edge of chaos (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Complexity theory holds that at the root of all complex systems lie a few simple
rules that will yield a grand unification of the life sciences. Lewin personalizes a
dramatic story of scientific discovery that includes explorations by such diverse
scientists as Stephen Jay Gould, Edward O. Wilson, and James Lovelock.

Waldrop, M. M. (1992). Complexity:
The emerging science at the edge of order and chaos. New York: Simon & Schuster.
A look at the rebellious thinkers who are challenging old ideas with insights into ways
countless elements of complex systems interact to produce spontaneous order out of
confusion discusses politics, economics, and biology.

Briggs, J., Peat, F. D., & Peat, D. F. (1999). Seven
life lessons of chaos: Timeless wisdom from the science of change. New York:
HarperCollins.
Briggs and Peat, whose Turbulent Mirror (1990) is one of the best popular books on
the science of chaos (Briggs also wrote the lavish Fractals (1992) on chaos art),
now gives us a book that introduces the major ideas of chaos and shows how they can be
used metaphorically. For instance, sensitive dependence upon initial conditions, or the
butterfly effect, is the phenomenon of a tiny action, when amplified throughout a system,
having unexpectedly disproportionate effects. (It is called butterfly after the chaos
theory canard that a butterfly flapping its wings in China can cause a thunderstorm or
hurricane in New York.) Apply this to politics, say, and apparently small initiatives can
produce enormous changes. Briggs and Peat are careful to differentiate between scientific
fact and metaphor, unlike some popular but often inaccurate self-help writers. The
combination of factual exactitude and imaginative application makes this the best book on
chaos yet.

Harman, W. (1988). Global
mind change: The promise of the 21st century. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler
Publishers.
Global Mind Change startles us into reconsidering the role of consciousness in major areas
of human concern: science and education, spirituality and consciousness research, health
and healing, psychology and psychotherapy, economics and management. Revolutions are
generally thought of as large-scale, bloody upheavals involving whole countries and
societies. But there are quieter revolutions that begin in the individual mind and create
the kind of change that may be even more significant. By deliberately changing their
internal image of reality, people are transforming the world. Right now we are living
through one of the most fundamental shifts in history--a change in the actual belief
structure of Western industrial society.

Hoekstra, T., & Allen, T. (1993). Toward
a unified ecology (Complexity in ecological systems series). New York: Columbia
University Press.
The authors present a conceptual framework for a more coherent view of ecology, showing
how to link the various parts of ecology into a natural whole. Although abstract, the
analysis is anchored in practice, emphasizing examples of what ecologists do and why they
do it. For practicing and aspiring research ecologists and population biologists, as well
as those in the management of wildlife and forests.

Lashley, T. II, & Matczynski, T. (1997). Strategies
for teaching in a diverse society: Instructional models. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Publishing Co.
This book focuses on a variety of ways to teach content material to students of all ages.
The teaching models are ones that entail both direct and indirect teacher control of the
learning material. In some cases teachers want students to construct their own schema, and
in other instances the teacher wants students to acquire content understandings in a
specific form...a form dictated by the teacher. This text shows teachers a variety of ways
to communicate content and includes lots of theoretical knowledge and practical examples.

Lewin, R., & Regine, B. (2000). The
soul at work: Listen...respond...let go: Embracing complexity science for business success.
New York: Simon & Schuster.The Soul at Work brings to businesspeople a new and powerful way of thinking about
and working in the new economy, one that draws on the new science of complexity, which
recognizes that business organizations are complex adaptive systems. The great
contribution of prize-winning author Roger Lewin and developmental psychologist Birute
Regine is to ground this science in organizational dynamics, in the interactions of
people, and to show how leaders who embrace the principles of complexity science are
developing highly innovative and adaptable organizations that are more likely to be
successful in traditional financial bottom-line terms. Most important, as the old
command-and-control style of management is relinquished in favor of a broader sharing of
leadership, people in these organizations experience a greater sense of commitment to
their work and to themselves in an atmosphere of genuine relationships and mutual respect.
The authors explain how these transforming ideas are creating a more human-oriented and
successful workplace, as revealed in the stories of a dozen actual companies of very
different types and sizes.

Masterpasqua, F., & Perna, P. (Eds.). (1997). The
psychological meaning of chaos: Translating theory into practice. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.
The purpose of this book is to introduce mental health practitioners to the concepts of
nonlinear dynamic systems theory that have become so important in the natural and physical
sciences. In non-technical language, authors from various perspectives explain the meaning
of chaos, complexity and self-organization for psychological practice. All of the authors
share the belief that the perspective may well revolutionize the way we practice.

Moen, P., Elder, G., Jr., & Luscher, K. (Eds.). Examining
lives in context: Perspectives on the ecology of human development (APA Science
Volumes). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Twenty-seven scholars discuss how the ecological theory and research of the
developmentalist Urie Bronfenbrenner (Cornell U.) led them to focus their own work on
problems crucial to "real life"--the rapidly changing world that often
challenges researchers to design inquiries in dramatically new ways. Intended for students
looking for an introduction to the theoretical approaches to ecological courses, and for
established scholars interested in multilevel approaches to human development. Presented
in five parts: the dynamics of individual development; historical and social time; the
multiple contexts of human development; the importance of process; and reflections and new
directions.

Wheatley, M. (1999). Leadership
and the new science: Discovering order in a chaotic world. San Francisco:
Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
When Margaret J. Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science was initially published
in 1992, it outlined an unquestionably unique but extremely challenging view of change,
leadership, and the structure of groups. Many readers immediately embraced its
cutting-edge perspective, but others just could not understand how the complicated
scientific tenets it described could be used to reshape institutions. Now Wheatley, an
organizational specialist who has since coauthored A Simpler Way,
updates the original by including additional material (such as an epilogue addressing her
personal experiences during the past decade) and reconstructing some of her more
challenging concepts. The result is a much clearer work that first explores the
implications of quantum physics on organizational practice, then investigates ways that
biology and chemistry affect living systems, and finally focuses on chaos theory, the
creation of a new order, and the manner that scientific principles affect leadership.

Wilber, K. (1998). The
marriage of sense and soul: Integrating science and religion. New York: Shambhala.The Marriage of Sense and Soul, a cognizant address of how to mend the rift between
science and religion,is further proof that Ken Wilber is one of the most knowledgeable and
clear-thinking individuals writing today. Like an experienced scout, Wilber has blazed a
careful trail through the dense history surrounding religion and science, from the basic
tenets of all religion and the foundations of science to the fundamental nature of our
postmodern society: the differentiation of art, morals, and science. It is this capacity
to differentiate that pits science and religion against one another, yet it ironically
proves to be the door to a reconciliation between the camps. Wilber proposes that, without
requiring drastic modification of the way either party perceives itself, science and
religion can coexist within a single framework, each playing a different role, yet married
in our quest to understand the universe. In the process, Wilber examines the work of many
of the pivotal scientific discoveries since the Enlightenment, as well as some of the most
influential thinkers of all time. Enough is here to perplex a tenured historian, yet his
course is so clearly charted that the reader comes away from The Marriage of Sense and
Soul not with confusion, but a feeling of completing a momentous and insightful
journey.

Complexity science reframes our view of many systems that are only partially understood
by traditional scientific methods. Systems as apparently diverse as stock markets, human
bodies, forest ecosystems, manufacturing businesses, immune systems, termite colonies and
hospitals seem to share some patterns of behavior. These patterns provide insights into
sustainability, viability, health and innovation. This book examines how leaders and
managers in health care organizations are beginning to use complexity science to discover
new ways of working.

These videos look at what has been learned from resent research on human development,
especially on the interaction of biology and environment as factors in development.

Other

Abraham, R. (1994). Chaos,
gaia, eros : A chaos pioneer uncovers the three great streams of history. San
Fransico: Harper San Francisco.
Chaos pioneer Ralph Abraham traces the history of consciousness through a rediscovery of
three driving forces, chaos, gaia, and eros--the mind, body, and spirit of evolution. With
startling originality and clarity of vision, Abraham employs photographs, timelines,
charts, and an engaging format to sweep the reader along on a wild ride through the whole
of history--blowing the doors off existing modes of thought.

Fan, M. (2004). The idea of integrated education: From
the point of view of Whitehead’s philosophy of education. Paper presented
at the Forum for Integrated Education and Educational Reform sponsored by the
Council for Global Integrative Education, Santa Cruz, CA, October 28-30.
Retrieved December 2004, from
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/CGIE/fan.pdf